What is so important about Proposition 8?by Angie
11 Oct 2008
5:10 pm3
This November, California is voting on a ballot measure that proposes to amend our state constitution to read, “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.” Voting “Yes” on Proposition 8 would establish this amendment as law. So, what is the big deal? Well, there are lots of issues involved – it’s not just about “same-sex marriage” or even homosexuality. The outcome of this ballot measure will have a huge impact on the future of California, and on the nation:
– Education: Children receive various levels of “age appropriate” sex education throughout their K-12 years. If Proposition 8 fails, this education would necessarily include homosexuality and “same-sex marriage,” and would be required to give equal honor and encouragement to these kind of unions as to traditional marriage. There would be no requirement for parental notification or opting-out. This has already happened in Massachusetts (where “same-sex marriages” are legal) and, to some degree, in California.
– Religious/Moral Liberties: The tolerance being demanded by Gay Rights Activists is only one-way: a “tyranny of tolerance,” as Elder Bednar calls it. Instead of tolerance, proponents of “same-sex marriages” are demanding endorsement. If “same-sex marriages” are allowed in California, the lawsuits will multiply against religious organizations that morally disagree with homosexuality. Some religions will be threatened with the loss of their tax-exempt status because they are considered “discriminating.” Organizations and individuals who try to act on their moral convictions in relevant cases could be censured, fined, or forced to shut down. This is already happening all over the country. I realize that these lawsuits are likely to increase whether or not we pass Prop 8, but this amendment would give religious/moral organizations a more defensible position in the face of such attacks.
– Same-Sex Partners raising Children: It is currently very rare for a child to be raised by a homosexual couple, but if Proposition 8 fails, it is likely to become more common. What will happen to these children? Which parent doesn’t matter – a Mom or a Dad? The Church’s publication, “The Divine Institution of Marriage” states that, “The legalization of same-sex marriage likely will erode the social identity, gender development, and moral character of children. Is it really wise for society to pursue such a radical experiment without taking into account its long-term consequences for children?”
Jim and I have discussed, researched, and received direction from Church leaders regarding these and many other issues related to Proposition 8. We both feel strongly in favor of it, and are dedicating our efforts and prayers to helping it pass on November 4th.
Crummy Carpet Cleaningby Angie
10 Oct 2008
11:10 am3
I’m looking for advice on cleaning carpets! I spent all afternoon Wednesday moving the furniture I could out of our living/dining area, vacuuming the whole floor, and shampooing the carpets with a big steamer-vac I rented from Home Depot… all to no avail. They still look terrible!
I began by spraying the worst areas with the special “high traffic treatment” spray that Home Depot recommended, and for solution I used a cleaner called “Kids’N’Pets” that was highly recommended to me. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize how very much was required, so I hadn’t bought enough and ran out when the room was only half done. It didn’t look like it was working, and I didn’t want to stop in the middle and go shopping, so I looked at some forums online, where several people recommended using just vinegar and hot water in the steamer. I used that for the second half of the floor, but the results were just as disappointing.
Does anyone have any suggestions for me before I spend three hours on my hands and knees scrubbing?
Preserving the Divine Institution of Marriageby Angie
9 Oct 2008
1:10 pm1
Last night we had the opportunity to attend a broadcast which was distributed to various Stake Centers all over California, as well as a few in Utah. Elder Ballard, Elder Cook, and Elder Clayton (a member of the Presidency of the Seventy) spoke on the importance of protecting and defending the institution and definition of marriage against the rising tide of same-sex demands. We were challenged to commit at least four hours per week over the next four weeks to support the Yes on Proposition 8 campaign, which will define marriage in California as only valid between a man and a woman.
Elder Ballard took some of his time to speak directly to the “young single and young married adults who are proficient in today’s techology.” He pointed out, “You text, blog, Google, twitter, ping, and write on your walls… I would have been sent to my room for doing some of those things in my day!.” It was very fun to hear him praise the talents and efforts of my generation, and encourage us to use our unique grasp of technology to spread the word in support of Proposition 8 with a new website developed by the church about marriage, families, civil rights, and tolerance. My favorite quote of the evening, was from Elder Cook – who lived much of his life in California, including studying law at Stanford University:
“There are those who vigorously promote beliefs and practices contrary to our own. They have the right of free speech, granted in our constitution . . . So do we! We can vigorously promote our beliefs and practices. We can do so with great conviction, and also with great love.”
Location of Missouri Temple Announcedby Angie
8 Oct 2008
11:10 am0
The Church announced more details about the imminent temple in the “Greater Kansas City Area” this morning:
“The temple serving the greater Kansas City area . . . site will be in Clay County, MI, on residential land within the Kansas City limits . . . already being developed by the Church. The development is known as Shoal Creek.”
Shoal Creek is in the Northern part of the Kansas City area, fairly close to Liberty. I’ll bet the summer of that temple’s dedication will be even busier for the VC Sisters than our “Nauvoo Temple Summer” was!
Checking Tire Pressure Under Pressureby Angie
7 Oct 2008
9:10 pm2
My dad didn’t tinker with cars. Perhaps it had something to do with having five daughters: If he had had a son to hand him tools and acquire matching greasy fingernails, his free weekends may have been spent under the hood of the car. Instead, he took his girls to movies and basketball games and built sets for my mom’s theatre productions. However, I do remember him teaching me how to change a tire as a prerequisite to receiving my driver’s license. I felt pretty impressed with my mechanical knowledge for a while, but – for better or for worse – I never actually had to change one. Now that ten years have passed, the lesson is a distant memory and I’ll probably be a jellyfish if I ever have to do it on my own.
Recently, however, I had a new lesson in auto maintenance. Our Mazda’s left back tire keeps riding low, so one day while Jim and I had stopped for gas, he showed me how to check and fill up the tires with the machine at the station. He explained that it’s really important to get the PSI up to 35 (but not higher) and that I must be very careful not to loose the little valve cap that screws on to seal the tire when I’m done. It was a simple lesson, but Jim made it enjoyable and I felt very informed and accomplished. I could have gone on feeling like that – just as I had about changing a flat – except that this time my education was tested.
A week later, Jim was heading out the door for work and mentioned that the Mazda was low on gas (he rides his Riva to work), and that I should fill up before running my errands. He added that it would be good to check the tire again – did I remember how to do it? Yes, yes, I did, and I said I would. Well, I didn’t – do it, that is. Not that afternoon at least. When I left for my errands, I was in a hurry and decided that I had enough gas to get things done. That evening, though, I felt bad that I handn’t taken care of the tire after I said I would, so I decided to go before it got too late.
The sun was setting as I pulled into the gas station. I stepped inside to ask for the code to work the air machine, then punched the numbers into the machine and got to work. I decided to do the job thoroughly and check all the tires, and started at the front right: 35 – good. Back right: 30 – I pulled out the nozzle and filled it up a bit. That took care of the two tires that were next to the machine. I decided that, rather than turning the car around, I’d just stretch out the hose to see if it would reach. Awkwardly, it did. I had to hang on to it with all the might of my left hand so it wouldn’t retract while I fumbled with the cap and the gauge in my right hand.
Suddenly, the air stopped. I was afraid I had broken something, but I soon realized that the air worked on a timer and my time was up. I entered the code again, dragged the hose back to its full length, and yanked it back around to the far side of the car to finish with the front left tire. Soon, the gauge read 35 and I lugged the hose around to the back of the car to the last tire. The PSI was less than 10, so I started filling, checking, filling, checking. By this time I had realized that it was really stupid of me to venture on this project in shorts.
When the tire was full, I started to screw the valve cap on with my right hand. Up to this moment, I had retained complete control over every one of the valve caps I had to remove and replace (which is quite a feat, considering I didn’t exactly have a free hand at the time – 
I had cradled each in my palm with my 4th and pinky fingers in the same hand that held the PSI gauge). This cap, unfortunately, was rather rebellious. He slipped out of my fingers and, rather than falling to the ground like a decent cap, dove straight into the wheel rim and disappeared. Nervously, I felt around inside. Since I was finished with the air hose, I let go so it could retract. Twilight was falling and it was difficult to see anything in the shadows. I felt around the inside of the rim with both hands. Finally, I began to search around the tire and – lying flat on my stomach on the asphalt – I saw and reached the cap, which had rolled about two feet away from the wheel, deep under the car.
Thoroughly disgusted with the whole endeavor, I roughly screwed the cap on tight and climbed into the car. As I started up the engine, I saw a man running toward the back of my car, waving his arms. I froze for a second, not sure if I should turn off my car and get out with my hands up or just drive away as fast as I could. Then I realized that he was bending down behind my car. The hose had not retracted all the way to the machine as I thought it had. It was wrapped around my back right tire and the nice man was unwinding it for me. Now absolutely mortified, I waved a weak thank-you as he walked away. With black, greasy hands and dust and grit on my shirt and knees, I drove home in shame.
The only good news is, the task was actually accomplished.
Conference in HD?by Jim
5 Oct 2008
3:10 pm2
In the past, I’ve been saddened by how the Church has lagged in the technology department. Understandably, technology is normally very expensive and it is sacred tithing they spend, so I’ve never complained about it. A few years ago, when they finally started posting conference as video files, I was very pleased. It wasn’t anything new or especially impressive, but it was a step in the right direction. This year, though, I was impressed. The new video streamer we used to watch conference this year was fantastic. Not only was it very responsive (we were able to watch conference without missing large chunks because of insufficient bandwith on their part, as in years past), but the fidelity of the video was unbelievable. I didn’t do any tests (I was trying to pay attention to the speakers), but the quality definitely looked HD to me. Full-screened on my HDTV, the quality was better than most DVDs. More than once, I got up from the couch and stared at my TV only inches away to see how clear the picture was. As an added nicety, http://lds.org broadcast conference in widescreen! (Strangely, http://www.byu.tv did not.) Forgive me for being so excited about this… after spending a lot on a TV, it is nice when I get to use the HD-ness of it. Did anyone else who watched conference online notice how good it looked?
The talks were all very good. I especially liked Pres. Uchtdorf’s talk in the Priesthood Session. What great counsel we received over the last 36 hours!
–Edit–
Okay, so it wasn’t HD. It was 640×360, which is technically not high-def; but in all honesty, online conference never looked better. 😉
A Temple in MY MISSION!by Angie
4 Oct 2008
8:10 am1
President Monson just announced that a new temple will be built in the Greater Kansas City Area – which is in my beloved Missouri, Independence Mission boundaries!!! I am so excited! Oh, it makes me so happy!
My family’s good friends, Jeff and Karen Acerson, are currently serving as the Mission President & Wife in Rome, Italy, so I’m sure they are thrilled about the annoucement of the temple in Rome, too!